Monthly Dyslexia News Digest – January 2019

In the headlines

8 January 2019

Kath Wood of Remploy writes that teachers and trainers in
the Further Education and Training sector may be missing the potential in their
learners who have dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD or Autism. She says it is important to appreciate
neuro-diversity and see their different strengths like visual thinking, the
ability to spot patterns and themes and their creativity. Teachers/Trainers must take into account
individual learning styles to help everyone reach their potential.

Chris McNorgan, a psychologist at the University of Buffalo,
has produced a neuro-imaging study to help develop tests for early
identification of dyslexia. Using fMRI
scans on 24 participants of ages 8 – 13, taking part in rhyming tasks, the
research seems to show a lack of coordinated processing in the four brain areas
known as ‘the reading network’ in the children who struggled with the tasks.

Made By Dyslexia has produced some awareness training films
using dyslexic celebrities including Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom and Darcey
Bussell. The films cover topics
including dyslexic strengths, dyslexic challenges, how to create an inclusive
classroom and how to identify dyslexia.

Professor Robert Plomin, from the Behavioural Genetics
Department at King’s College London claims that diagnosing dyslexia is wrong as
there is ‘nothing to diagnose’. He controversially claims that there is no
dividing line where you have it or do not.
He claims that it is ‘a dimension’.
Others argue that dyslexia has a wider impact than just causing reading
difficulties. Helen Boden, Chief
Executive of the British Dyslexia Association states that it is ‘a complex
neurological difference’.